FORTUNE FAVOURS ELYSIA | ᴀᴅᴀᴍ x ʟᴜᴛᴇ

11 | EXTERMINATION

𝙻𝚄𝚃𝙴'𝚂 𝙿𝙾𝚅—

The air was warm beneath my helmet, a strong humidity with no relief. I was shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other exterminators, as we all stood at attention. My back straight, my gaze fixated ahead, my hands gripped white-knuckled to the grip of a sword— my chosen weapon for my very first extermination. The blade was stuck straight into the ground in front of me.

My vision is fine beneath the helmet, but when you are packed like sardines with a populace of other soldiers, everything gets more blurry. I was in the middle of the crowd, and my gaze could not find any familiars. No Vaggie, no acquaintances— hell, I couldn't even see Michael or Adam from where I was. I knew they were there, somewhere within this mob of girls standing at the very entrance way we have into Hell. It all came down to waiting for the cue.

"Exorcists!" Michael's voice boomed out for all of us to see. He flew upwards so that no matter where you were in the crowd, you could peer up and see him. His crimson wings broke through the suns rays, keeping him afloat in the air. His hands were extended out, one holding some type of axe, the other bare palmed.

"For a year, you have prepared for this day. You have learned new skills, you have bled from your mistakes, you have endured over and over to be the best soldier Heaven has to offer. For some of you, this is your 30th extermination, and for some, this is your very first. Wherever you are far in your career, or fresh, you all have done well."

The girls burst out into cheering and celebration, and I reluctantly join by giving some less than enthusiastic clapping, while still trying to hold my sword.

I see a pair of golden wings break through the suns rays, and Adam ends up at Michael's side. They look at each other, and Michael gives a nod to Adam. Immediately after, Adam takes the reins to really hype us girls up.

"ARE Y'ALL READY TO EXTERMINATE SOME DEMON ASS?"

More cheering that makes my ears ring continues, as I try to match the energy of the crowd around me— not to much success.

"Remember, ladies, we stick in the PRIDE ring! Don't wanna see y'all flying off to Lust, or Gluttony! Only sinners can be killed! We taught y'all how to differentiate, so you better have been paying attention! Anyways— enough of the chatter, WE GOT A FUCKING JOB TO DO!"

I can barely hear the rest of what Adam is saying, as the sound of the crowd engulfs all of my senses. My eyes remained fixated towards Adam still, as he points his hand backwards— his pointer finger extended, and does a hand gun motion. I can't see the portal to hell open, but there is an immediate different feeling in the air. Not so much heat, but a heaviness that Heaven doesn't have, and I haven't even stepped through yet.

"ATTACK!" Adam does this whole rockstar voice, and before I know it, I am nearly trampled by the other girls making a B line to the portal. I power through the crowd, lifting myself off the ground after a small running start. I manage my way through the portal, despite how sketchy it is to fly shoulder to shoulder with other angels. Once I'm through the portal, every sensation in my body feels as if it changes.

My vision is met with the immediate colour of blood, smoke coloured clouds scattered across the atmosphere. It appeared as if today it was raining in Pentagram City, as my body gets coated with small droplets. The sight of hell was more stereotypical than I could have imagined with the red hues and satanic imagery, yet also completely different from what I had anticipated— there was an entire city beneath me, identical to the ones on earth, and from this view, it seemed awfully dense.

I avoid the rest of the angels by flying off towards my right, rather than tumbling to the dead centre of the pentagram. I'm practically doing a nosedive, feeling the wind pass around my body. I adjust the grip on my sword, and pull my body upwards right before I hit the roof of a building, landing onto my feet.